Thursday, May 14, 2015

Chocolate, how I love thee! You may not know this about me, but I have a serious sweet tooth. I cannot pass up sweets. Honestly, it's a good thing that I still have a semi-decent metabolism, or I might be in trouble! As much as I love sweets, I'm really not the one who does the majority of the baking in my house (that's my hubby's forte). I would rather be the one cooking, and don't mind doing so. With that said, I tend to become easily bored with our weekly dinner menu, and am always looking for new ideas and ingredients to change things up.

Chocolate is a well-loved ingredient, and I never would have thought to use it in cooking, instead of just in baking. I mean, I know that there are plenty of restaurant chefs who use chocolate in savory recipes, but I am not a restaurant chef- just a simple home cook.

Presented by Stephanie Willis, MBP Preferred Consultant

I am pleased to introduce you all to Stephanie Willis, an Independent Chocolatier with Dove Chocolate Discoveries. Stephanie is MBP's preferred DCD Consultant, and we encourage you to connect with her! Stephanie has shown me that using chocolate in cooking goes way beyond baked goods. Stephanie loves sharing her love for Dove Chocolate Discoveries with others.

In the 1880's, Frank C. Mars learned chocolate-making in his mother's kitchen. Later in life, he and his wife Ethel, started selling chocolate from their kitchen in Tacoma, Washington.

Stephanie invited me to check out her personal DCD website, and to browse the online shop. I can't tell you how much I drooled over just looking at some of the photos of the available products. From chocolate to desserts and savories, there were so many products to choose from! I could see myself enjoying all of them, but keeping the season in mind, and the rest of my sweet family, of course, I narrowed it down to two products I thought they would love, as well.

Stephanie sent me some sweet treats from Dove Chocolate Discoveries, and I couldn't wait to open them up, and get into the kitchen!

I was so excited about the brownie mix! Brownies are one of my favorite desserts, and the fact that these were truffle fudge brownies made the idea of baking up a pan of brownies even sweeter! As for the chocolate BBQ sauce, well- that was to be an experiment for hubby and me! We love all types of BBQ sauces, but neither of us had ever imagined we'd be trying out a chocolate BBQ sauce. We couldn't wait to see what it would taste like!

Mmm... chocolate BBQ sauce? Yes, please!

Since we weren't sure quite how we wanted to use the BBQ sauce, we gave it a tiny taste test, before we put it on anything. We both agreed that it was smoky, with a yummy sweetness, and it wasn't really spicy. My husband immediately detected the notes of garlic in the sauce (we love garlic, by the way- I wouldn't be a true Italian if I didn't). We were blown away by how yummy it tasted, just by itself, and I imagined myself dipping lots of chicken into it!

We decided to grill up some chicken breasts for dinner. With it being grilling season, we're grilling everything we can! I used a prep tray, and just poured some of the sauce into the bottom of the tray, and then placed the chicken breasts into the tray. I then spooned some more sauce on top of the chicken, and spread it out. These chicken breasts were filleted, so they grilled in about ten minutes. While the chicken was grilling, I could smell the sweetness of the sauce, mixing with the scent of the grill (and I was in the kitchen!), and my mouth just watered. I couldn't wait to taste that chicken! While hubby grilled, I baked up some cornbread, and sauteed some zucchini.

Take a look at this beautiful piece of chicken!

Hubby brushed a bit more of the chocolate BBQ sauce onto the chicken right before he took it off of the grill. He was so ready to taste the chicken, after standing at the grill, and smelling its yumminess! We plated up the chicken with the sides, and dug in!

Grilled to perfection! Let's eat!

Ladies and gents, the chicken we grilled was incredibly delicious! It was so tender and moist, while giving us that smoky, grilled flavor we love. I love sauce, and love to dip foods into yummy sauces, so my husband wasn't at all surprised when I added a little more BBQ sauce to the side of my plate. I wanted each bite of chicken totally covered in the sauce- it was that good!

One of the things that I really liked about this particular BBQ sauce, is that I felt that my mom could handle it. She can't eat anything too smoky or spicy, but the flavors of this sauce have a bit of zip, without being too tangy or overpowering. I told her that I thought this sauce would be gentle on her tummy, and she said she'd love to try it. We can't wait to slather some yummy ribs with this incredible sauce for Memorial Day! Yum!

Such a delicious dinner couldn't have been topped off better than to end the day with a deliciously sweet brownie. This mix, however, was no ordinary brownie mix. I love chocolate so much that I am known for ordering double or triple chocolate desserts. This brownie mix was about to give my my chocolate explosion fix!

The DCD Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix came with two packages- the actual brownie mix, and the chocolate chips to stir in!

I thought about sneaking off with this bag of chocolate chips and having a 'mommy moment'.

I decided that I'd better leave the baking to my husband. He makes the perfect brownies- bakes them so that they're underdone, just the way we like them. Hubby enlisted the help of our four-year-old son, B, and together, they mixed up the brownie batter. Hubby was surprised to see that this brownie mix called for melted butter- we were in for a treat!

The boys, mixing up the brownie batter- like two kitchen pros!

After the brownie mix was all stirred together, it was poured into a prepared 8x8 baking dish. B helped my hubby add the chocolate chips over top of the brownie mix, and watched as they sunk into the chocolaty mixture! I'm pretty sure he may have swiped a taste of the batter. Like father, like son. We did lower the oven temperature by about five degrees, and let the brownies bake for about five minutes less than noted in the directions. You know your oven, and how you like your brownies, so use your judgement there.

Our pan of brownies turned out perfectly- a bit of crunch around the edges, and ooey, gooey all the way through!

We couldn't wait to sink our teeth into those brownies! After they cooled (only slightly, because we like to enjoy brownies while they're still warm!), we cut them into small pieces, and added a bit of vanilla ice cream to our brownie bowls. The ice cream just melted into the brownies and made them extra delicious! The brownies were so thick and fudgy, I truly felt like I was eating a decadent truffle. I couldn't even finish my dessert that first night- it was so rich! My hubby was happy to finish the rest of mine. We ate on the brownies for almost a week! They are just so rich that we couldn't eat too much of one at once! I did sneak tiny bites here and there, and B loved the brownies, too! These are hands down the best brownies we have ever made at home, and I can't wait to get this mix again- it's such a crowd pleaser, and couldn't have been easier to throw together and enjoy as a family!

Dove Chocolate Discoveries Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix Details

Most brownie mixes taste like... mixes. This is a fantasy of chocolate-on-chocolate loaded with a half-pound of our premium dark chips. Goes together in a flash and tastes like you were slaving at the stove. Watch them disappear. You’re a magician. (Makes 20 Brownies)
$15.00

With Memorial Day, Graduations, and Father's Day coming up, there are lots of reasons to include Dove Chocolate Discoveries products in your next celebration!

Check out some of the DCD products we'd love to try this summer...

Summer Salads Bundle

Perfect Party Bundle

Backyard BBQ Bundle

DCD has some super specials that Stephanie and I are excited to share with you this month!

*You can get the Sweet N Smoky Chocolate BBQ Sauce for FREE when you host a $500.00 party with Stephanie during May!

Why not make Dove Chocolate Discoveries a part of your next celebration? We have lots of birthdays, bridal and baby showers coming up this summer, and I can think of lots of great uses for DCD products- party food, and even gifts!

DCD offers a fabulous Business Opportunity! If you've been itching to make a career change, or would like to earn a little extra money just for sharing about your passion for chocolate, the DCD business opportunity might just be for you! Contact Stephanie to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Want them? Get them!

Head on over to Stephanie's personal DCD website to browse their latest products, to place an order, inquire about the DCD opportunity or to schedule a party of your own! You can connect with Stephanie's DCD through Facebook. Feel free to reach out to Stephanie through our comment section or e-mail Stephanie with any questions you may have about DCD!

Want them? Win them!

Stephanie is kindly offering our readers the chance to win a DCD Prize Pack, which will include the DCD Sweet 'N' Smoky BBQ Sauce, as well as the Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix. How sweet is that!? This giveaway is open to US residents, 18+. Just use the RC entry form below to enter for your chance to win! This blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

Special thanks to Stephanie for allowing me to experience and share about these wonderful Dove Chocolate Discovery products, and for offering this sweet giveaway for our readers!